Youth Curriculum, 11-23-25
Announcements:
Parents of teens attending the CSL Winter Teen Camp, January 16–19, 2026, in Vernonia, Oregon – get your early bird discount registration in by November 23rd. Visit CSLOlympia.org, click on “Youth & Family” and “Teen Camp” to register.
All youth are invited to bring their favorite holiday song to class this month — we’ll listen, enjoy, and vote on our top picks! If your child or teen plays an instrument and would like to perform at one of our holiday services, please notify Adrienne.
November Youth Curriculum:
Monthly Theme: Rooted in Love – Seeing the Sacred in All Life
Week 4 Value: Grateful for Kith & Kin
Affirmation: I am grateful for the unique beauty, brilliance, and diversity of my local ecosystem
Overview:
Youth explore the meaning of kith — the places and landscapes they know intimately — and kin — the living beings, big and small, who share life with them. Youth will deepen their understanding of how interconnected all life truly is. Drawing from Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s writing on “wild communion” and from Science of Mind teachings on Oneness and the sacredness of the manifest universe, youth will begin recognizing that their relationships extend far beyond people; they include animals, plants, weather, and the land itself.
Spiritual Lesson:
Science of Mind teaches that the entire universe — from soil and starlight to oceans and people — is the body of God in expression. When youth learn to see nature as part of their spiritual family, gratitude becomes a natural response. In class, youth will identify the beings and places that sustain them and create a “Kith & Kin Gratitude Map” to visually express their relationship with their local ecosystem.
Mindfulness Practice: “Breathing with the Earth”
Youth close their eyes and imagine roots growing from their feet deep into the Earth, grounding them in the soil and connecting them to everything around them. With each inhale, they visualize the Earth nurturing them with strength and calm; with each exhale, they send gratitude back to the world. As they breathe, they imagine themselves breathing with the trees, animals, oceans, and the land, feeling their place within the greater web of life. In this stillness, they sense how deeply they belong.
Active Listening: Book/Music:
Younger Youth
- Book: We Are All Connected by Gabi Garcia
- Music: “All the Way Around the World” by Little Groove
Older Youth
- Book: Rooted by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
- Music: “Circle of Life” by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M, and “We Are” by Sweet Honey in the Rock
Creative Expression: My Kith & Kin Gratitude Map
Youth create a personal Kith & Kin Gratitude Map that illustrates their connection to both place and beings. They begin by identifying meaningful locations in their daily lives — such as a favorite tree, a neighborhood trail, a quiet spot in the backyard, or a creek they pass on the way to school. Next, they add the beings who share their world: family members, friends, pets, local wildlife, insects, helpful plants, even the sun and rain. As they identify each part of their ecosystem, they add words, drawings, or symbols of gratitude, such as hearts or stars. The final map becomes a colorful representation of their “square mile,” showing all the kin and kith they are grateful for and the living community Spirit has placed them in.
Lessons in Action: Our Living Web of Kith & Kin – A Community Art & Spoken Reflection Piece
Youth and teens will collaboratively create a large tapestry-style mural or display (poster-board tri-fold, canvas fabric, or long butcher paper). Younger youth expand their Kith & Kin Gratitude Map by exploring “Nature Kin Discovery,” where they look at pictures of local animals, plants, and natural elements and reflect on their relationships with them.
Older youth and teens engage in an “Ecosystem Web Challenge,” where they choose a local being — such as a bee, tree, river, or bird — and explore what it gives to the world, what it needs to survive, and what depends on it. They identify what threatens that being and brainstorm how humans can act as better kin through small, meaningful changes in daily habits.
Connecting: 5th Sunday Youth/Adult Service Presentation Plan
Youth and teens plan their presentations during the 5th Sunday of the service, where they will share their integrated learning in a short, meaningful 5–7-minute offering.
Their cumulative art project will be presented. Teens will discuss what they learned this month regarding the sacred web of life, and youth will share their short ‘kith & kin’ statements. Additionally, teens will present ‘The Four Agreements Connection.’ A leader will show how each week’s lessons are represented in the art project.